With over a month of the NHL season into the books, the Toronto Maple Leafs have put together a solid 9-5-2 record to sit in second in the Atlantic Division behind the Florida Panthers prior to last night's game against the Ottawa Senators.
More importantly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have managed to do so despite having some key players from their roster missing in action for some or, if not, all of the regular season thus far.
As the Maple Leafs are gaining momentum from their current three-game winning streak, some more good news may be coming their way as they will likely be getting some reinforcements this coming week to help augment their lineup.
However, at the same time, there are still a few others that look to still a long way to go before they can ultimately make their return.
Here, we will take a look at the Maple Leafs November update with respect to the injury front and the approximate timeline in which their players on the IR could be making their return.
Toronto Maple Leafs November injury update: Which key players will be back soon enough?
Max Pacioretty
After leaving Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens after taking a hit from defenseman Mike Matheson, it was learned that Leafs forward Max Pacioretty will now be out week-to-week with an injury to his left leg.
Pacioretty was just starting to get comfortable in his top-six role with the Maple Leafs until the latest incident. To date, he has recorded 2 goals, 4 assists for 6 points in 13 games played. With hopes that he had put behind his extensive injury woes from the past two seasons, Pacioretty will now have another obstacle to overcome as he continues to aim to revitalize his NHL career with Toronto.
Calle Jarnkrok
News from the Calle Jarnkrok front wasn’t as promising as he appeared to have suffered a setback in his recovery from his lower-body injury. To make matters worse, he is scheduled to see a specialist in New York to deal with his issue.
Jarnkrok had been on the long-term injured reserve since the start of the 2024-25 NHL regular season due to a suspected sports hernia. As a result, his timeline for his potential return is now unknown. As a probable trade candidate already as a result of the cap crunch, it has made his future with the Leafs that much more murkier.
Toronto Maple Leafs Injury Update Continued
Connor Dewar
As for Connor Dewar, he appears all but ready to return to the Leafs lineup soon. Dewar has practised with the team in recent days after his conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies last week where he recorded one goal and two points.
He had been recovering all summer after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum following the Leafs early playoff exit this past season to the Boston Bruins. Dewar will look forward to his possible return this week and help out with the Leafs penalty kill going forward.
Auston Matthews
Despite being eligible to return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, Auston Matthews doesn’t appear to be ready just yet as Leafs GM Brad Treliving revealed that Matthews is doubtful for the match. (This was written prior to the game).
Of more concern was the fact that he was also held out of practice on Monday. Matthews had been out with an unknown injury since last playing against the Minnesota Wild on November 3rd. The good news is that according to Leafs head coach Craig Berube, the injury isn’t serious and is related to a minor ailment he had during training camp.
They just wanted to make sure Matthews would be at full health the rest of the way so they plan to hold him out for now, with the game against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday the more likely return date.
Jani Hakanpaa
As one of the Leafs key offseason signings, Jani Hakanpaa has finally rejoined the Leafs for practice on Monday, according to David Alter of The Hockey News. Hakanpaa had been sidelined due to a knee injury since the end of last season when he was still a member of the Dallas Stars.
He has recently spent more than a week on a conditioning stint with the Marlies in which he got into two games of action. With his size and rugged-style of play, he could be seeing action soon with the Leafs to help strengthen their already solid back end. (All stats from NHL.com)
Dakota Mermis
For another Leafs free agent signing during the past offseason, defenseman Dakota Mermis had been out after undergoing jaw surgery in late September.
There has been no recent updates on his situation as of yet. Nevertheless, Mermis will likely be just a depth piece for the Leafs for the 2024-25 NHL season.